Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. T. DUNDORE, H. H. SEOHRISTX; I. M. BRUBAKER GAR COUPLING.

No. 359,963. Patented Mar.'22, 1887. M7

f g Q? ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

N T. DUNDDRE, H. H. S'EOHRIST 85 I. M. BRUBAKER. GAR COUPLING.

N0. 359 96S. Patented Mar 22, 1887.

\D 5 S N k2) ix u N H (X N Q a R S S Y Q Q S, R x S S S 3 WITNESSES: 7 INXENTOR: I v Wm/0M0? ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

NATHAN T. DUNDORE, HENRY H. SEGHRIST, AND ISAAC M. BRUBAKER, OF DUNDORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR=COUPL|NG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,963, dated March 22, 1887. Application filed January 4, 1837. Serial No. 223,393. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, NATHAN T. DUNDORE, HENRY H. Snorrarsr, and Isaac M. BRUBA- KER, all of Dundore, in the county of Snyder and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Gar-Coupling, of which the {ollowing is a full, clear, and exact descrip- Our invention relates to oar-couplings, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient coupling which will antomatically couple high or low cars on straight or curved tracks, and may be adjusted so as not to couple, and which may be operated without requiring the train-men to go between the cars and expose themselves to injury. The coupling has no springs or other delicate parts, and is strong and durable.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the car-coupling, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of the end parts of two adjacent cars fitted with our improved couplings, with the parts ready for coupling as the cars come. together. Fig. 2 is an elevation of parts of the end of a car with our coupling applied thereto and with the link in cross-section, and Fig. 3 is a detail end elevation with parts in vertical section on the line a c of Fig. 1.

The draw-head A of our coupling is held to the car-body B by a suitable strap iron or irons, 2'1, and guides, allowing the draw-head to slide longitudinally of the car, and the draw-bar C, fitted to the head A, is provided with buffer and draw springs c 0, arranged in the usual manner. The drawhead is provided with a flaring mouth, a, which opens into the lower part, (I, of a T-shaped cavity, D, formed in the draw-head, said part (Horming,with the upper part, (7, the front portion or head of the cavity, the rear part, cl, of which ranges backward about at the vertical center of the draw-head. The part d of the cavity 1) forms a socket to receive the end of the coupling-link E, and the floor 1 of said part d inclines or slopes backward, whereby the end 6 of the link when pressed to said floor 1 by a dead weight or block, F, held in the cavity D of the draw-head, will cause the outer end, 6', of the link to be raised above a horizontal position, to facilitate its entrance into an opposing draw-head. The shoulder 2 at the back of the portion (1 of cavity D limits the inward movement of the end of the entered link, and both the floor l and shoulder 2 are recessed or slotted centrally at 3, to allow free movement of the lower end or stem, 9, of the coupling-pin support and tripper G, which also is fitted in the cavity D of the draw-head, as presently described.

The dead-block F is made with a top plate or portion, f, two side parts, f f, connected thereto and ranging vertically, said parts f f having play in the front portions, (1 d, of the draw-head cavity D, and a tail-piece, f", which has play in the rear part, (1 of said cavity, and is connected with the side parts, f, of the block, which latter parts are adapted to fall upon the top of the link E when in the socket d, as shown at the left-hand draw-head in Fig. lof the drawings, the tail-piece f of the block then resting on the floor of the rear part, d", *of the draw-head cavity.

The coupling-pin support and tripper G is pivoted at g at the upper ends of its side parts, g, to the opposite side walls of the drawhead A, said parts 5 ranging outside of the head portion fof the dead-block F and inside of the sides f f of said block, whereby the pin-support and the block mutually guide each other in their movements. The parts g /01" the support G are fixed to a horizontallyranging portion or shelf, which forms the support proper, onto which the coupling-pin H will be held up, ready for coupling, as pres ently explained.

The coupling-pin His fitted to slide through a hole or holes, h, made in the draw-head, a central lug, a, being provided to afford an intermediate bearing and guide for the pin just over the shelf or rest 9 of the pin-support G. The coupling-pin also passes through a hole in the top plate, f, of the dead-block F, said hole having side enlargements, h, which f, to cause the dead weight or block F to be .ling-pins and dead-weights or blocks H F of admit passage of lugs I on the pin below the plate f, and whereby when the pin is turned the lugs I, or equivalent shoulders of any suitable shape, on the pin will be under the plate raised bodily by the lugs as the pin His fully raised, and preferably by devices next described.

A forked link, J, pivotally connected to the coupling-pin, is pivoted to the outer end ofa lever, K, which is pivoted at to the car-body B, and has pivoted to it atZ one end of a link, L, the other end of which is provided with a pin, M, which enters a segmental slot, n, at the end of the short arm n of a lever, N, which is pivoted to the car-body at n and extends to the side of the car; The long arm or of the lever N projects through a long keeper, 0, fixed to the carbody, and a stop-latch, P, pivoted to the keeper near its upper end, has a shoulder, 11, which may be swung freely outward by the rising lever N, but will drop back under the lever to hold its outer endraised, as in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The weight of the long arm n of the lever N is sufficient to lift the coupling-pin H and the dead-block F, suspended by the lugs I on the pin, and to certainly accomplish this result the lever may have a counterweight, a, fixed to its long arm as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. .2 of the drawings.

The operation is as follows When the levers N of the 'couplings of two opposing cars are not held by their catches P, the coupboth cars will be lifted by the levers and. the cars will not :couple when run together, and this same result will be accomplished if the link E be heldbythe lowered pinH and deadblock F of one car while the pin and block of the adjacent car are held up by the gravity of thelever N connected to them. \Vhen the link E is held by its end 6 in the draw-head of one car, as shown at the left hand in Fig. l, the stem 9 of the pin-tripper G lies in the recess 3, behind. the draw-head shoulder 2,to prevent damage of it by the link. To prepare the cars for coupling the lever N of one car will be tripped from its catch P and will lift the coupling-pin H and dead-block F, and the pin-support G will swing forward to carry its shelfg under the end of the pin. The lever Nwill now be liftedand caught onto the latch P, leaving the pin H and the dead-block F supported onthe shelf of the tripper G, the stem 9 of which then stands at the throat of the link-receiving socket of the draw-head. The slot n in the lever N allows play of the short arm of the lever on the pinN of the link K, permitting the lever to be raised onto the latch P, while the coupling-pin and block H 1+" are raised and allow free fall of the pin and block, when the shelf of the tripper is carried backward from under the pin by the entrance of the end 6 of the link E into the draw-head byeontact of the link with the stem 1 of the tripper, whereupon the dead-block F falls onto the link and the pin H falls through the link to effect the coupling of the ears about as the bumpers A of the two couplings come illlCOll- 7c tact. To nncouple the cars the latch Pi of either car will be tripped from under its lever N which then will fall to .lift the connected coupling-pin and dead-block, leavingone end of the link free to allow the cars tobe drawn apart. It is obvious that a car having our improved coupling may be coupled to a car provided with the ordinary link-and-pin coupling, and cars having draw-heads of different heights may readily be coupled with our couplings either on a straighttrack or on curves. Furthermore, there are no spring or other delicate parts to our coupling, making it very reliable and effective under any service to which it may be subjected, and the train-men need not go between the cars and expose themselves to injury.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, andidesire to secure by Letters Patent, is V 1. In acar-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head VA, recessed at D, of a dead; weight or block fitted loosely in the drawhead, and a coupling-pin, H, provided with lugs, as I, adapted to lift the block wheni the pin is lifted, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head recessed at D, of a deadweight or block fitted loosely therein, a coupling-pin, roe H, provided withllugs, as I, adapted to lift the block when the pin is lifted, andagravitating pin-support pivotedito the draw-head and pro vided with a shelf, as g", onto which the lifted pin may rest, substantially asdescribed, for the purposes set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head recessed at D, of adead weight or block fitted loosely therein, a couplingpin, H, provided with lugs, as I, adapted to lift the block when the pin is lifted, and a gravitating pin support and tripper pivoted to the draw head and provided with a shelf, as 9?, onto which the lifted pin may rest, and. a stem, 9, at the mouth of the link-socket, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head, a dead-block fitted loosel therein, and a coupling-pin having lugs, as 1, adapted to lift the block when the pin islifted, of a lever, as N, fulcruniedto the car,'and connections, substantially as described, from said lever to the coupling-pin, whereby the weight of the lever will overbalance that of the coupling-pin and dead-blockand hold them updo prevent coupling of the car, as set forth.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination, with. thedraw-head, a dead-block fitted loosely therein, and a coupling-pin having lugs, as I, adapted to lift the block when the pin is lifted, of a gravitating tripper, G, having a shelf, 9 adapted to support the piniand block, alever, as N, fulcrumed to the car-body, and connections from said lever to the coupling-pin, sub

stantially as described, whereby the weight of the lever will overbalance that of the couplingpin and dead-hlock to lift them and the tripper G will swing under the pin to support it and the dead-block, as set forth.

6. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A, recessed at D, a dead-block, F, a pin, H, having lugs I, a gravitating pin support and tripper, G, all constructed and arranged for operation substantially as specified, of a lever, N, fulcruined to the car-body and provided with a slot, n, and connections L K J, between the lever and couplingpin, substantially as shown and described.

7, In a carcoupling, the combination, with the draw-head A, recessed at D, a dead-block, F, a pin, H, having lugs I, and a gravitating pin support and tripper, G, adapted to hold up the pin and dead-block, of a lever, N, fulerumed to the ear-body, connections from said lever to the coupling-pin whereby the lever normally lifts the pin and latch, P, on the car-body, adapted to support the outer end of the lever to prevent fall of the coupling-pin and block, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

8. A car-coupling constructed substantially as herein shown and described, and comprising" a draw-head, A,recessed at D, a dead-block, F, fitted in said recess, a gravitating pin sup port and tripper, G, a coupling-pin, H, having lugs, as I, adapted to support the block F, a lever, N, fulcrurned on the car, connections J K L M between the lever and coupling-pin, and a latch, P, on the car, all arranged for op eration as and for the purposes set forth.

NATHAN T. DUN DORE. HENRY H. SEOHRIST. ISAAC M. BRUBAKER. \Vitn esses:

CHARLES R. RIsHEL, CHAS. P. ULRICH.

dead-block, and a 

